Grant county commissioners impose temporary burn ban

The Grant County Board of Commissioners imposed a temporary ban on outdoor burning, effective Tuesday Aug. 13. The ban prohibits all outdoor burning until further notice and will be lifted once conditions improve. If citizens are caught burning, they could face fines and other consequences.

With the hot, dry, arid conditions, and a heavy load of dry grass and sagebrush throughout the county, officials are additionally anticipating new wildfires to ignite. The risks include nighttime fires which may be ignited by summertime lightning storms.

Emergency Management urges citizens to follow these safety tips:

• Take yard debris to the county landfill or recycling centers.

• Use caution when mowing or working with other equipment that could spark.

• If you spot a fire, large column of smoke, or suspicious activity, call 9-1-1.

The county burn ban does not change the burn ban already imposed on all cities in Grant County. Since 2007, burning bans have been imposed by the Washington Department of Ecology for all cities with Urban Growth Areas. When the countywide burn ban is lifted, the Ecology burn bans for all cities will still be in place.

The county ban does not affect fires at campgrounds in fire pits or agricultural burning permitted by the Washington Department of Ecology such as the burning of field crop residue and orchard tear-out residue. For more information on agro burning, contact the Department of Ecology at 509-329-3400.